Orange County's car dealers are cruising toward another strong year of sales, but there could be some speed bumps ahead.

Local drivers registered 43,745 light vehicles during the third quarter, a 9.1 percent increase over the same period last year, according to a new report from the Orange County Automobile Dealers Association. Japanese carmakers Toyota and Honda were the top-selling brands.

Countywide sales are up 11.9 percent year-to-date over 2012, well above the nationwide gains of 8 percent.

“We're outperforming the national increase by about 50 percent. That's significant,” said John Sackrison, executive director of the dealers association. “The vehicle sales are indicative of the health of the Orange County economy overall. Consumers here in Orange County are feeling a lot more confident.”

But the pace of growth appears to be decelerating. The group predicts that 2014 sales will grow by about 7 percent. That's down from a projected 10.9 percent for this year and well below last year's 23.9 percent jump. The report cited slower economic growth and restrictive fiscal policies among the factors influencing auto sales.

Sackrison characterized the change more as a normalization in the local market after several strong post-recession years. Since falling to a low of 96,289 in 2009, Orange County sales have increased each year and are projected to hit 166,000 this year.

Toyota was the top seller during the third quarter, accounting for 8,350 newly registered vehicles. Honda, which sold 6,052 automobiles, came in second.

Some smaller brands registered big gains. Boosted by popular new rides, both Subaru and Dodge increased sales more than 40 percent over the same quarter last year.

“It breathes a lot of life into brands when they come out with strong new products,” Sackrison said.

Perhaps the hottest type of vehicle in Orange County is alternative powertrain automobiles. Hybrid or electric cars accounted for about one in every 11 vehicles sold in Orange County last quarter and sales were up 49 percent from last year. The Prius, Toyota's popular hybrid car, was again Orange County's top-seller.

“The technology is there now,” Sackrison said. “It's not just early adopters anymore.”

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